Viewfinder Campus Climate Survey

Spring, 2023

Why climate surveys? 

Viewfinder Campus Climate Surveys are designed to help institutions measure and assess both their strengths and opportunities around diversity and inclusion efforts for students, faculty, staff, and administrators. Climate surveys provide insight into what shapes the experiences and perceptions of individuals on campus to help institutions create an environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed and thrive. 

What we did

Mines administered the survey in Spring 2023 where it was open from March 30 to April 28. The average time it took students and employees to complete the survey was 15 and 24 minutes, respectively. More than 1,000 students and 900 employees started the survey. Not all participants answered every question or finished the survey. However, these numbers represent approximately 15% of our student population and 61% of our employee population.  These rates are strong for what you might expect to see in terms of responses to a climate survey. The target participation rates for surveys of this scale are typically 10% of students and 40% of employees. Mines’ participation rates exceeded these goals.  

About the survey

The survey contains questions asking about why students and employees come to Mines, how they feel about their experiences, and how DEIA is perceived and implemented at the university. The survey also included specific sections with questions about students’ and employees’ experiences at Mines for different demographic groups. Demographics group questions included those who identified as Military/Veterans/Cadets, people of color, people with a disability, women, international individuals, and LGBTQIA+ individuals. ​In addition to these identity-based sections, all participants answered questions about campus diversity and the overall campus experience. 

Dissemination

High-level survey results were shared during a Keynote presentation by Dr. Kate Youmans at the Celebration of DEIA event on April 2, 2024. In an effort to share these results more broadly, we have developed interactive Tableau dashboards for the Mines campus community.